The interim leader of the Yukon Liberal Party has called the territorial government's proposed modifications to the final recommended Peel Land Use Plan "a slap in the face.”

"The government has reinvented the wheel,” Sandy Silver said this morning.

On Tuesday afternoon, the government unveiled four options it feels better balance environmental protection and economic interests in the Peel Watershed than the final recommended plan by the Peel Planning Commission.

It also announced the start of the final round of public consultation in the planning process. The news came two days before the legislature is reconvened.

The public and First Nations will be able to provide input on all five land use options, the plan recommended by the commission and the four new options unveiled by the government.

But, as the government has said consistently since the 2011 election and as Premier Darrell Pasloski and Energy, Mines, and Resources Minister Brad Cathers repeated Tuesday, they believe the final recommended plan should be modified to be "more fair and balanced.”

"All four mapping concepts suggested by the Yukon government provide significant protection for existing users and the environment by designating 74 per cent of the Peel Region as either Protected Areas, Restricted Use Wilderness Areas, or Restricted Use Wilderness Area River Corridors,” said Cathers.

He also noted the new land use designations the government has developed for its proposed plans.

Liz Hanson, the leader of the official NDP Opposition, said this morning, "What we're getting is greenwashing – using the language of balance and fairness to sell their one-sided approach, which is not reflective of what Yukoners have said.

"I don't think Yukoners are going to be fooled by this.”

As Silver noted, the Protected Area designation does not completely rule out road access to existing claims as in the Special Management Area designation in the final recommended plan by the planning commission.

"There are a lot of questions as far as what do they mean by protected area,” said Silver.

The NDP leader said she wasn't surprised by the proposed plans.

"But, I'm very disappointed that what they've done is Mr. Pasloski and his cabinet have essentially rewritten the plans for the Peel, as anticipated, to demonstrate that they do favour industrial resource extraction over other values, and that's not what the land use planning was all about,” she said.

Currie Dixon, the Minister of Environment Yukon, said, "There is no doubt that certain areas in the Peel Watershed region where the value of unspoiled wilderness, the ecological and habitat value, and the value as sheer scenic beauty, outweigh the value that could ever come from extracting the mineral or oil and gas resources.

"These are areas that need to be protected with the highest level government can provide.

"In other areas, there are tools that government can use to manage any potential activity to ensure that existing values, whether they are ecological, conservation, habitat, wilderness, wilderness tourism, or any number of others, are protected.

"Such tools include managing the cumulative effects of activities to limit the disturbance caused and the overall footprint of any activity,” Dixon continued.

"Ultimately, our goal is a Land Use Plan that protects the wilderness values of the area and allows for responsible use.”

Mike Nixon, the Minister of Tourism and Culture, was also on hand at Tuesday's press conference called to release the proposal.

He commented that the government understands the importance of the "wilderness beauty” of the Peel Region to tourism operators.

The Restricted Use Wilderness Areas an Restricted Use Wilderness Area River Corridors were "developed in recognition of the importance of ensuring the final land use plan is one that provides effective protection for the interests of tourism operators and big game outfitters,” he said.

Hanson maintained that the proposed government plans are not reflective of the input Yukoners provided over the last six years.

"It's a disservice to the negotiations process, to the land use planning process, and they've misled First Nations and Yukoners,” she said.

She also noted that the agreement requires final consultation on the final recommended plan, only after which the government can "approve, reject or propose modifications.

"They've jumped to the end and proposed modifications and that's not acceptable,” she said.

Pasloski said: "Debate about the Peel Land Use Plan has at times been unnecessarily polarized and politicized.

"We believe most Yukoners actually share common values. Yukoners value wilderness beauty and a healthy environment.

"They also want a strong, diversified economy that provides employment for their friends, families and communities,” he said.

Silver, meanwhile, blamed the polarization on the government, adding that its proposal won't do anything to quell the divisions.

"They're saying that this is going to be the plan that decreases the polarity, while the new (proposed) plan(s) potentially allow for development in up to 80 or 90 per cent of the regions.

"The so-called protected areas will allow development in some situations,” he said.

The final public consultation will run for 120 days, with an extra 30 days added onto the end for further First Nations consultation.

Cathers noted, "This public consultation will be one of the longest the Yukon government has ever held.”

Yukoners can participate in the consultation by visiting peelconsultation.ca.

Advertisements will appear online, in newspapers and on radio stations for public forums, and each household will be mailed out an information booklet.

Chiefs from the four affected First Nations could not be reached for coment before press time this afternoon.